Chapter 51: Gaslighting 101
It was a massive towering spear of black metal and blue crystal that seemed to pierce the clouds. The dragon sigil spun slowly above it, casting its shadow over the city below.
Security checkpoints waited ahead.
The car slowed.
Every checkpoint scanned the vehicle, then waved them through. At the third gate, a squad of guards in full gear stood ready, but didn’t raise a hand.
They knew who was inside.
The final gate opened, revealing a wide stone courtyard and the massive doors of the Conglomerate’s inner tower.
The inside of the Calloway Conglomerate’s tower was just as imposing as its exterior. Marble floors gleamed under the soft lighting, and the elevators ran silently, guided by mana arrays embedded into the walls.
Margaret stood near the lobby’s center.
She was tall, sharply dressed in a tailored gray suit with a red brooch shaped like a fang pinned to her chest.
Her brown hair was tied back in a sleek braid, and her gaze was cold and steady.
Alice tensed slightly beside Isaac.
"That’s the Chairman’s personal assistant," she murmured. "Margaret."
Margaret’s eyes scanned the group.
"The Chairman is waiting. Follow me."
She turned without waiting for acknowledgment and led them to the elevator. The ride was quiet. Margaret didn’t speak, and Isaac didn’t feel the need to either.
They reached the top floor. The elevator doors opened to a wide corridor with dark paneling and tall glass windows revealing the full stretch of Central Sector.
At the far end, double doors of deep blue steel stood half-open.
Margaret gestured toward them. "Only the boy and Lady Alice."
Professor Catherine raised a brow but smiled, stepping back without argument. "Alright, I’ll wait here."
Margaret tried to stop Leora from following them inside, but she froze when Leora glanced at her.
Isaac entered the room with Alice and Leora close behind him.
The office was massive. A wall of crystal glass ran behind the central desk, showing the sky and the city below. Bookshelves lined the sides, and there were two silent guards standing by the corners.
Behind the polished black desk sat a man with gray hair and sharp eyes.
His presence was commanding. His calm, dignified aura made it easy to see how he’d ruled the corporate empire after it lost its previous owner.
Lucius Calloway, Chairman of the Calloway Conglomerate.
Isaac took the seat across from him.
Alice sat only when Lucius gave her a nod, but even then, she was stiff.
Her fingers were interlocked, and her face held the same neutral expression it always did. But Isaac could see the slight tension in her shoulders.
Lucius glanced at Leora, standing silently behind Isaac’s left shoulder, and then turned his attention back to the boy in front of him.
"I assume you know what kind of trouble you’re in," Lucius said calmly. "You walked into my tower after beating up my daughter. It’s not something anyone would dare to do."
Isaac tilted his head. "Why would I be in trouble?"
Lucius’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You nearly killed her."
"I did it for your sake," Isaac said without hesitation.
Lucius blinked. For the first time, there was a flicker of confusion in his gaze.
"My sake?"
Isaac nodded. "Selene insulted Alice, the Calloway Conglomerate’s heir. In public, and in front of your own people. She’s your daughter, and her actions reflect on you.
"If the people around you won’t show Alice any respect, how long until the rest of your company follows?"
Lucius was silent.
Isaac went on. "When Alice becomes chairman while her subordinates are already treating her like she’s beneath them, the Conglomerate will suffer. Eventually, it’ll collapse from the inside.
"Selene didn’t just disrespect Alice, she nearly sabotaged the Conglomerate’s future. I, having a helpful disposition, stopped her. You’re welcome."
Lucius leaned back in his chair, watching Isaac with quietly.
The boy was amusing if not a daredevil.
Beside him, Alice spoke quickly. "Chairman, he’s... usually well-behaved. Please don’t be angry with him."
Isaac gave her a sidelong look, then sighed.
"Alright," he said. "I’ll sweeten the deal."
Lucius raised a brow.
"Selene called herself the heir," Isaac said. "In public. There’s CCTV footage from the shop. You can check."
"What are you getting at?"
"Officially, Alice is the heir. But Selene is already claiming the title. That means she’s either planning a coup or expects to get rid of Alice somehow. If Alice resists, Selene might try to have her eliminated."
Lucius’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers stopped drumming on the desk.
Isaac continued. "Even if Selene doesn’t plan to go that far, someone else will. It’s normal to target the heir of one of the three business empires to eliminate competition.
"And when something happens to her, everyone will point to Selene. They’ll remember what she said. What she did. That footage will become evidence."
Isaac shrugged.
"Now that you know this, you could have the footage erased. I came here to tell you before anyone else finds out. That’s two favors I’ve done for you. You’re welcome again."
Lucius let out a breath and leaned forward slightly.
"I must say," he said, "this is the first time I’ve had a conversation like this. You’re daring. I’ll give you that."
He folded his hands and fixed Isaac with a level gaze.
"Alright. I won’t kill you before hearing your demand. What do you want?"
"I want Alice."
Silence.
Lucius didn’t react for a moment.
Then he blinked, slowly, as if trying to figure out if he’d misheard. His mind, sharp from decades in business, tried to dissect the statement, but Isaac’s expression gave nothing away.
"I... see." Lucius locked gaze with Isaac.
"I’m helping you," Isaac clarified.
Lucius narrowed his eyes slightly. "Explain."
"There are two possibilities," Isaac said. "You’re either on Selene’s side or Alice’s."
Lucius didn’t answer.
Isaac raised his index finger.
"If you’re on Selene’s side, then giving me Alice works in your favor. She’ll be out of the picture. You can claim you respected her decision to leave.
"That will appease the board. And I—an SSS-rank Awakener—will owe you a favor, so there is almost zero chance anyone will try to stop you from sending Alice to me."
Then, Isaac raised the middle finger as he kept his index finger up.
"If you’re on Alice’s side, then you should definitely give her to me. For her sake.
"This place is toxic. Even if she survives it and becomes the chairman, she’ll break from the inside. She’s already overworking herself. Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. She’s hollowing out just to prove herself."
Alice looked down at the floor.
The situation was making her heart beat loudly.
She was afraid, but hearing Isaac’s words, knowing he cared for her, warmed her heart.
"This isn’t a toxic environment. It’s hardship. And hardship builds strength."
"Hardship’s fine. But what you’re doing isn’t hardship. It’s slow suffocation."
Lucius didn’t reply right away. His gaze shifted to Alice.
For a long moment, the office was silent.
Lucius tapped his finger against the desk slowly, as if weighing every thought that passed through his mind.
Then, finally, his eyes flicked to Leora for barely half a second. Then he turned back to Isaac.
"You should be grateful I’m not having you killed for what you did," Lucius said evenly. "And instead, I’m sitting here. Listening."
Isaac didn’t flinch. He shrugged.
"There’s no way you can kill me."
Lucius’s brow twitched.
"Confident, aren’t you?"
He leaned forward slightly, voice turning just a little colder. "You think your bodyguard will jump in before I can snap your neck?"
Isaac shook his head. "No. It’s not that."
He met the Chairman’s gaze calmly.
"I trust you."
Lucius didn’t hide his surprise. "Trust me?"
"I trust you," Isaac repeated, "because you’re the Chairman of the Calloway Conglomerate. You run one of the largest business empires in this region. You wouldn’t be here if you were the kind of man who acted on impulse."
Lucius remained quiet.
"You’re smart. Smart enough to understand loss and profit. And killing me would bring a massive loss. I’m supported by the Sanctum of Masters.
"Even if you could hide it—which you can’t—it would sour your relationship with one of the strongest forces in the region. It’s not worth it when I’m offering you a better deal."